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Leafs Postgame: Aw, Rats

I mean, the season is a lost cause at this point, but you at least want the blue and white to be respectable and have a good showing, right? Win or lose, just a good effort, of course. But what you want and what you get are two entirely different things, and the Leafs, well.. it wasn’t very pretty.

The Rundown

This is a really good screen of Drew MacIntyre by Jimmy Hayes to make this play happen. The Leafs are otherwise not a total mess on this goal; Morgan Rielly looks out of position, but was making a defensive play at the blue line prior. Things could have gone better, but it wasn’t the usual catastrophe.

Jake Gardiner made an incredibly smart decision in this play to jump into the rush, which lead to an equally smart play by Tyler Bozak to give the puck up to James Van Riemsdyk to give the illusion of those two being the guys on the rush. Bozie trailed behind and regained the puck, sniping one past Roberto Luongo to tie the game. Very good overall play.

Brad Boyes is in front of the net for four seconds before tapping in this goal, and for approximately two of them he’s in an open position to take the shot. Not much focus is put on Bjugstad either, other than Bozak, and he’s allowed to run around after winning his puck battle. It’s an awful all-around play.

Just to sum this one up: Bjugstad gets into a puck battle with Paul Ranger, loses the puck, gets the puck back, keeps the same battle going, gets out of it, and because everyone assumed Ranger was going to beat him out, flies out from behind the net and beats MacIntyre. Brilliant.

Cody Franson gets blown by and Fleischmann goes on a rush with Bjugstad. MacIntyre correctly covers the shot, Phaneuf correctly covers the pass. With a higher chance of gain coming from the pass, Fleischmann goes for the saucer and it works. Phaneuf scraumbles, MacIntyre shifts over, but Bjugstand scores his second. A “didn’t work out” play again, with this one going to Franson if fingers must be pointed.

Bozak recieves a pass, and knowing he doesn’t have a clear shot due to traffic in the crease, immediately drops it for Paul Ranger. Ranger’s angle gives him a chance to go high left, and it works, releasing his sixth of the season while Luongo is still trying to find the puck.

The Leafs then proceeded to not score any more and lose the game.

Why The Leafs Lost

“Pride” and “compete” were the usual suspects in the post-game soundbites, but the reality of the fact is, they were heavily out controlled by the Florida Panthers. If you look at the shot attempt chart, it actually looks as if they went into “defend lead” mode after tying the game:

Whatever the case, the second and third goals showed some questionable mistakes by the defence, as they usually do, and the forwards had little to contribute. There is no excuse for being significantly out shot, out played, and exposed by one of the weaker teams in the league, unless it’s time to finally admit that this team, in its current set up, might just be one.

Blue Warrior

Sentimentally, I still think it’s really cool that Drew MacIntyre finally got his first NHL start. He’s been the definition of a journey man over the years, and at least in Toronto, has been a stellar person to have in the organization. These men are still chasing dreams, and he finally accomplished a big one for himself tonight.

Performance wise, I’ll give Tyler Bozak the nod tonight. He made two very intelligent plays in the process of making both Leafs goals happen, and even the goals against he was on the ice for seemed to involve him doing something sensible. He also set a career high in goals in a season, so he has that going for him as well.

7 Comments |

With the season winding down, besides the unanimous MVP’s being Kessel and the goaltending of Bernier and Reimer (More-so towards Bernier but yes I’m including Reimer), I have to say that damn, Bozak has really impressed me this year. People may hate on the term and the amount in his contract for what he’s being paid, if he can have this kind of productivity for 2 or 3 more years, I’ll see it as a success.

Well looks like your team had better things on their minds and it sure hec wasn’t hockey….
Sorry Drew but it came down to didn’t matter who was in net, the team couldn;t bother to show up…..who knows maybe now You as in Drew can now become Berniers back up clown…
Anyways………..Drew was okay, but one game doesn’t make a NHL Goalie but hey you all hate Reimer so this would be a good thing right?

AGAIN I SAY BERNIER with his groin injury and now a knee injury he’ll never be the same, I had the same thing done and I was told it will never be the same, and being a gialtender being on your knees alot is not gonna go well…young as he is not good…….SO your favorite starter, lets see never fully played the total number of other top starters, first starter goalie to come out from a back up position and gets injured trice in the last set of the hunt for the play offs………yep with Bernier as he is and possibly an unproven goalie, yep next year should be a great year…and lets not forget the great hard working, gel together, highly competitive team in the front of it all…..

embaressing to go this long without a win………….SHAME ON YOU LEAFS!!!

I am so sad that my boy is going as there’s nothing left for him here..and as much as he loves everything and everyone here, he deserves better.

A poster here says to me heat and a great person doesn’t win games..but it makes a difference when you are playing with a team that also has the smae goals as the Goalie and thats to play with heart and sould and to fight as a team and not one self….so yes it doesn’t win the game by itself, but it does make a difference when you show the fans that you are there for them and that no matter what you don’t give up……

THIS TEAM HAS NEVER HAD ANY HEART OR SOUL FROM DAY ONE, AND THAT MAKES THE GOALTENDERS FIGHTING A LOOSING BATTLE………….

wake up and smell the coffee, the goalie CAN”T WIN the games without his team no matter what…he plays with a team not by himself and dam it the team owes the goalies some wins and show some frigging heart…

IF RIEMS PLAY HIS LAST GAME AGASINT THE SENS…I KNOW IT WILL BE A GREAT GAME FOR HIM BECAUSE HE WILL COME TO FIGHT AND COMPETE AND DO ALL THAT HE CAN DO, GO OUT ON A GREAT NOTE WITH OR WITHOUT THE TEAM…BECAUSE THATS WHO HE IS AND GOD WILLING US REIMER FANS WILL BE CHEERING HIM ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME AWAY FROM ALL THIS CRAP

How do you know I’m not a conditioned NHL Goalie? just kidding, toucha!!

Beleive me I won’t worry about you but you should worry about another disappointing year next season…Because your still gonna have the same heartless non-competing players…
Even Bernier will not be able to save you all….

Just so you know I don’t dislike Bernier you have your thoughts and I have mine and were never gonna agree on it so I will leave it with this last banter…

Bernier has some technical skills yes, he was on a great team with a great teacher and I recall Bernier saying how he would watch quick and go out and try to improve the moves that he watched quick do etc…. unlike Reimer who had no Veteran to watch and learn from or mentor him, he is also from within this franchise and also had to battle through one wall after another…

The difference between these 2 goalies is simple…you can not teach Bernier how to compete, to have the heart and soul and desire to go out and work for your life the fans the team the franchise to stand tall no matter that the team in front of you fails to fight with you and hangs you out to dry, to have a personality that fans love that is always upbeat and supportive of HOCKEY as the sport it should be….. Reimer has all this and when he suceeds in correcting his flaws he will be awsome, because these flaws can be corrected and fixed and with who he is as a person will make him a great as other number ones out there have all the heart and the skill to suceed…

Bernier may have some of the skills a bit better than Reimer but he can’t be taught the fighting spirit Reimer has…

Thats the difference between the two…Reimer will go on and will be better wait and see..Jets not sure about that but it will be away from here….

So in alot ways a competing personality with the heart and love of this sport, the fans, the team yadda yadda….and with some good coaching and a great training staff.. he’ll blow this sad excuse for a Canadian Team out of the water….

GO REIMER GO!!!!!!

What this organization really needs is ANOTHER TEAM close to home to put some fire under this whole franchis butt!! I would be first in line to see that happen….

Its been fun, but the seasons over and I am gonna watch the real teams play hockey now….

Leiweke made a hasty and wrong decision on Nonis; Nonis stuck with Carlyle when he had clearly lost his ability to actually coach; Nonis used his new five-year contract (and vote of confidence) to spread the wealth with Clarkson, Kessel and then Phaneuf; that trio is arguably the worst ‘core’ in the NHL and they’ll all be haunting TO for years to come because of NTCs.